Saturday: Having a hard time uploading to Facebook so I haven't uploaded the other pictures yet. Will soon! Anywhos, in Birmingham, AL and about to head off to Atlanta today to meet some couchsurfing peeps. Supposed to go sailing on Sunday but we'll see how the weather fairs up. After that then Savannah to go see MRS Reed (formally Ms. Jana Mabel Unruh).
So, the South! Wow! First things first. That people are awesome! So friendly, cordial, polite and chitty-chatty. Even the stock boy at the grocery store wanted to know how my day was and what I was cookn for the night. :-D :-D The houses in the French Quarter are beautiful and very unique, everyone of them. Decorated in crazy colors, beads, vibrant flowers and just ooze history. One thing that really moves me is the culture here. I haven't really understood strong historical culture until I got here. You can just feel it in the air, walking down the cobble stone street and watching the gas lamp street lights flicker. You can just hear the horse drawn carriages, jazz music playing and the smell of cajun spices from a simpler time. It's a beautiful thing. Which by-the-way, Cajun spices are like lil trumpets dancing on the tongue! The first night I was in Baton Rouge I went to Chimes (a favorite among the locals) and had GUMBO for the first time. DEEEEEElish! My host also made a Creol red beans and rice... I just can't get over how flavorful and spicy things were! MMMMmmmm.
Thankfully, my host in New Orleans lived walking distance to Bourbon Street, The Quarter and the Frenchman. I had full range of the house and it was air conditioned! He lived in an area called the Treme, which is the oldest African American Suburb in the United States. Nowadays, it's a breeding ground for local musical artists in New Orleans. The music! The music! Every other bar, restaurant or street corner had live piano players, harmonicas, trumpets, sax players or a whole bands. Seriously, it just oozes... I just wanted to groove.
The weather was tolerable and mostly cloudy which made for cooler weather. Shiya and I did some hiking and walking down Bourbon street. You can't imagine the looks on peoples faces. A Wolf! Unfortunately, I didn't get to see any gators but I saw some swamps and buoys. So, much water! I think I was on a bridge for like 26miles going over swamps. It's crazy to see Lake Tahoe/ Redwood height trees growing out of the water! As far as the oil spill. I couldn't see it or smell it but many of the residents of NOLA are more concerned about a shortage of Crawfish then the environmental effects of the spill. Interesting. I also strolled over to the 9th Ward (most of the Katrina destruction) and it was amazing how much has not been done to re-build even after 5 years. I decided to not take pictures because there are still residents living there and I felt it disrespectful to stop and take pictures. They already looked at me weird driving by. But a lot of caved in roofs, half of houses missing, and cement foundations where houses use to be. Many of the houses that are there are covered by over grown greenery and marked with a big red X on the door.
So, I'm about to head off to a Birthday Party for one of the locals before I head to Atlanta. Hope you're enjoying reading. More pics soon!
No comments:
Post a Comment